Her Nexx Chapter invites all women to It’s OKAY! Pause, Breathe, Proceed on Thursday, May 25 at 6:00 pm Central time/7:00 pm Eastern time. Timed to live stream during National Mental Health Awareness Month, the event aims to empower women with knowledge, resources, and a sense of community in facing mental health challenges. American Sign Language (ASL) Interpretation will be provided during the event. Registration is free at www.hernexxchapter.org/2023womenswellness. HNC will stream live via simulcast across the Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube accounts of both HNC and its broadcast co-presenter Sign1News.

As the first segment of the HNC 2023 Women’s Wellness Program, this virtual summit will feature stories, knowledge sharing, and advice from diverse experts in fields such as nutrition, psychiatry, and psychology. Topics include clinical depression, bullying, and self-care. Attendees can expect:

● Narratives on inherited trauma and other mental wellness challenges

● Expert monologues on the root causes of mental illness

● Expert monologues on nutrition’s relationship to mental wellness

● A presentation on practical and philosophical approaches to mental health care

● A demonstration of meditation as a mental health treatment

The healthcare professionals who will provide supportive, science-based commentary on clinical depression, PTSD, bullying, self-care and other topics during the summit are:

● Dr. Aruna Tummala, holistic psychiatrist

● Dr. Constance Scharff, addiction trauma treatment and recovery specialist

● Mia Kurtti, psychotherapist and psychiatric nurse practitioner MSc

● Dr. Shahla Ali, interventional psychiatrist

Other speakers who will provide insight on mental health wellness include:

● January Donovan, self-worth strategist, coach, entrepreneur, and author

● Piia Tuominen, solution-focused brief therapist, coach, and NLP master practitioner

● Zara Jones, podcast host, blogger, and author

● Riley Rees, Riley Rees, CEO of Sofia Health, provides military transition mental support

● LaToya Zavala, spiritual inner power coach and motivational speaker, provides military transition mental support

Her Nexx Chapter intends to address mental health wellness from a variety of perspectives, as well as provide educational information and outreach resources. The summit is the first segment of a two-part Women’s Wellness Program by HNC in 2023; the second event takes place in July this year. In addition, a mental wellness toolkit will be available for public use afterward on www.hernexxchapter.org/2023womenswellness.

Tracy “Lady Chap” Chapital, HNC’s Founder and Chief Vision Officer, says that the summit both aligns with and expands on the organization’s mission. “We are excited to work on an event that will give identity to the vast numbers of women, youth and families suffering from mental illness, and also acknowledge the critical worldwide issues surrounding its profound impact,” she said. “This much-needed discussion will bring awareness to the way mental health is perceived, addressed, and handled. It will also delve into detecting any underlying signs from generational, genetic, and cultural aspects. We hope the summit provides a safe, supportive virtual environment where women can stay informed about alternative medical options and developments.”

National Mental Health Awareness Month has been observed in May every year since 1949 as part of a reform movement led by Clifford Whittingham Beers, whose personal experience with mental illness, psychological distress, and institution-based abuse also inspired him to start the association now known as Mental Health America. The Mental Illness Policy Organization states that more than 50% of Americans will be diagnosed with a mental illness at some point in their lives, while it is estimated that half of these individuals will not receive treatment for these conditions. Without treatment, this can impact other areas of life such as family and relationships, work and school, physical health, and substance abuse, often leading to other disorders.

Sign1News, a Google partner, is an innovative award-winning media production company. It is the first and only cloud-driven digital network, powered by and partnered with world news leader CNN, to offer online news and information in American Sign Language for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community. Sign1News provides media production services and equal access to local, regional and national news and information via live-streamed and daily post-produced broadcasts. Sign1News was given the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2019 Adoption Excellence Award in the category of Media/Social Media/Public Awareness. Learn more about Sign1News at www.sign1news.com.

The Future of Connection for Women